Hunting Hope
by SweetSouthernSass
Summary: Sisters share blood, and secrets. The Cartwright girls were together when all hell broke loose, and that's their plan. Stick together until their dying day, going it alone. But when they cross paths with a pair of brothers from the past, back in their old life, will plans change? Do they continue on alone or join the Dixon brothers at camp? And if they do, what will be the cost?
1. Prologue

**Author's Note**: Hello Readers! Okay, so this story is one that I've been gifted from a Miss. CountinggStars! I was helping her out with some writer's block and we had been shooting idea suggestions back and forth, and after cranking out two chapters together last night, she decided that she wanted to give the story to me on the condition that I credit her properly for the beginning chapters anddd have her Beta me! So, here we are! This is not my FIRST Walking Dead story but it IS the first that I've published for people to read! I'm excited to pick up where we left off and continue the story along to follow Rachel's experiences! (I will be keeping the original OC's names)

Rating: Fiction M- for language, adult content/situations, and dark themes/violence (ahem, _zombies_!).

Pairing: Main- Daryl DixonxOFC; Side- Merle DixonxOFC

_Credits:_ CountinggStars- You're _amazing_ love!(:

_**Warning!:**_ So, this will be a bit AU, obviously since I'm adding in an OC. A few darkly themed stories gave _CountinggStars_ her first ideas on this story when she thought the OC up and her relationship with the younger Dixon brother. When we started working together I kind of lightened the darkness so that we still get a taste of the Daryl we know and love, he's just got some extra baggage in addition to what he _already_ has! That being said, Daryl won't be _EXACTLY_ like Daryl in the shows! He will be written a bit darker than he comes off in the beginning thanks to being around Merle, though I DO believe he will STILL become the badass hero we all know and love. I just wanted to warn you that he WILL be OOC and not strictly canon, so if you _don't_ like it like that...*gasps* RUN! There's a WALKER BEHIND YOU! :)

Hopefully though, you give Daryl and Rachel a chance!

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own The Walking Dead(TV Show, Comics, etc.), its characters, or any other copyrighted/trademarked material that may be mentioned in the story. I DO own my OC's(Thanks to a lovely friend!)- Rachel and Jenny Cartwright, their family members, and any other non-canon plot ideas/twists and turns I add in!**

Thanks for giving it a shot! Read, review, share, whatever! :) *Please no flames!

* * *

><p><em><strong>-Prologue:-<br>**__**One Month Pre-Outbreak  
><strong>__**Rachel's POV**_

* * *

><p>I sighed deeply, any worries about the mishaps we'd had the night before easing out of my veins as I took a quick swig from the vodka bottle next to me. I winced slightly, unable to keep a straight face as the liquid fire coursed down my dry throat, wetting it even though it burned like hell. I coughed once lightly and rose to my feet, cutting the television's loud volume before tossing the remote down and striding through the apartment to Jenny's bedroom. I knocked twice before using my toe to open the door, not at all surprised that she was already getting ready. I always <em>was<em> the one that worried a little more than my older sister when it came to our acquired...hobbies.

"So?" She murmured, flipping her hair over.

I made a non-committal noise before crossing my fair-skinned arms over my chest, watching as she teased and tossed her wavy blonde locks.

"We're in the clear." I answered quietly. "Didn't even make the news. They're all over these girls that keep disappearing."

"_Bastards_." Jenny hissed, flipping her head back up. "Keep findin' every _other_ douchebag in these bars except the ones we really want."

I hummed quietly, gazing at myself through her mirror. My golden highlighted brunette hair was still wet and hanging heavily around my face, the towel I wore barely wrapped around my frame respectfully and my greenish hazel eyes seemed dim with worry- though they were lightening as we spoke.

"Think we're ever going to get 'em?" I questioned, borrowing her comb to start the long process of getting ready.

Jenny sighed deeply, almost pained, and shook her head with a shrug. I took that as an _'I have no fucking clue'_ and sighed in response before padding to my own room where I blew my hair dry into long, straight locks. I made quick work of shrugging from my towel and slipping into the lacy underwear for me Jenny had appeared with a few weeks back before I gazed at the clothes hanging in my closet. Our hunting ground of choice for the night was a bar on the outskirts of town, an old country joint that was sure to be _just_ as filled with pigs as it was southern gentleman. I grabbed the low-rise jeans before shimmying into them, the denim pulling tight across my ass. Next up was the white corset that smoothed over my stomach and pushed my breasts high to create ample creamy white cleavage while still displaying a few inches of tanned stomach between it and my jeans.

"Boots." I murmured distractedly as I searched in my cluttered closet.

"Here." Jenny called.

I poked my head into the hall to see her pointing toward the living room before I noticed the black leather peeking out from under the couch. I frowned at them a moment before shrugging and slipping into them. Expensive perfume, smokey makeup and my signature charm bracelet finished off my ensemble before I made my way to the kitchen.

"I look like the devil next to you." Jenny muttered, half-teasing and half-annoyed.

Rolling my eyes, I glanced in the full length mirror that hung over the pantry door. I did have a certain virginal appeal, but I was far from innocent.

So very, _very_ far.

* * *

><p>The music pulsed in my ears as I leaned back against the bar, my eyes darting around the packed tables and dance floor repeatedly. Jenny had disappeared into the shadows, more than likely scoping out the guys for the night. That was never my part, not the initial picking anyway. I was the little sister that stepped in to offer the threesome dancing, to dangle the idea of sex in their face, to help seal the deal and tempt them away to play.<p>

But the picking was _all_ Jenny.

We had a protocol, a code.

Tonight though, I felt different in the bar where I normally felt at ease, trusting Jenny to handle her end.

Initially I thought it was because I'd been so nervous about the possibility of creating a trail that would lead right to us the night before, but now that I'd checked online updates and seen multiple news broadcasts only for them to reveal nothing about our extracurriculars, it shouldn't have been a big deal. Something was off though, I could feel it. My skin was flushing, tinting pink, and _not_ just because I was knocking back a shot or two. It was something else entirely and I was trying in vain again and again to find it.

And then there it was.

_Eyes_.

Ice-blue that made me shiver from head to toe while a fire sparked somewhere deep in my chest at the same time.

They hovered over me, locking with my own hazel-green ones that were probably shimmering in the barlight. I got the feeling that they had been scanning me repeatedly as I sat at the bar, but now that I'd caught them, they held my own.

My tongue snaked out of its own accord, wetting my lips gently as I let my eyes dip to his own lips that had mimicked my action. As if seeing me do it provoked _him_ to do the same. He wasn't a huge guy, yet I could feel the power radiating from him all the way across the bar. There was a certain air of dominance as he gazed back at me, challenge clear in his bright, clear eyes. He was taller than me, I could tell even from his slouched position against the wall across the noisy room, his work booted foot pressed into the dirty bar's wall. The muscle on the guy was damn near captivating, the way it rippled with an action as simple as lifting the beer he held to his lips.

"Hey there pretty thang."

A slurring, intoxicated voice murmured near my ear, making my nose wrinkle in disgust as the alcohol scented breath of the guy next to me washed over my senses. I sent him a tight smile before turning my head back toward the blue eyes, only to find them gone.

I sighed in disappointment, already missing the feeling they'd given me.

The adrenaline when Jenny and I _worked_ was a high that sent me sky-rocketing, but this…_this_ had been a whole new level of greatness. It had every nerve-ending in my body called to attention and just staring at him had gotten my blood pounding in my veins, my muscles clenching throughout my body with need and desire, and my breath came a little faster.

"I'm talkin' to ya girl." The drunk muttered, getting annoyed.

"Fuck _off_." I hissed, agitation setting in like ice in my veins.

It was _his_ damn fault I'd missed the guy.

He let out a sound of outrage before latching onto my elbow in a surprisingly painful grip considering he'd seemed completely inebriated only moments before. I let out a small and sharp gasp, yanking at my arm, but he only held on tighter and the shooting pain in my joint warned me not to pull anymore unless I really wanted a dislocated shoulder.

"Let. Go." I snarled, my eyes narrowing as I bit off each word. "Of. Me."

He cackled quietly and my eyes darted around the bar, searching out Jenny for a little help, but she was nowhere to be seen. I vaguely worried for her, she _never_ went off on her own for long with a target and usually stuck to the dance floor until she could give me the signal to join in.

"Lil' feisty one we got here guys."

I froze at his words, picking up on the other two men that seemed to appear from the shadows. I panicked mentally, hissing at myself for not noticing their pack of creeps before they got to me. I hadn't even fucking _seen_ the other two the entire time I'd been dealing with the asshole next to me and now I was stuck without backup to take care of-

"Let 'er go."

My heart jumped at the deep voice, raspy and rough like sandpaper as it growled out the words from behind me threateningly. I didn't have to turn, already knowing exactly who it was that had spoken up.

The blue-eyed stranger.

"She don't belong to _you_." The pig still manhandling me snapped.

"She does if I say." Blue-eyes snarled back, his body tense behind mine.

We weren't touching but I could practically _feel_ the tight muscles of his arms and chest balling up and solidifying behind me, rippling with the effort to not pummel the guy in front of me at that very second.

"No she-" He started, clearly pissed.

"I _do_."

My words of agreement came from nowhere, a complete surprise to us all, including the man behind me. I _felt_ rather than heard his stall before his large and warm hands slipped around my waist, pressing against the bare skin my corset had left exposed for all to see. He dipped his head to the place between my neck and shoulder after pulling my hair back as I gazed at the drunken guy, still holding onto me in shock, before I felt the man's teeth lightly graze my skin, sending a shivering tingle straight down my spine.

"_What the hell?"_ My mind reeled, even though there was nothing but pleasure in the nip.

As if it was some silent communication, the drunk holding my arm dropped it like it was on fire and stepped away, fading into the shadows with his buddies by his side as quickly as he could. I relaxed, letting out a gust of air from my lungs as my body sagged into the stranger's chest behind me. His fingers dug into my hip for only a few moments and I heard him take a deep breath near my ear but then he pushed me forward gently, placing me back on the bar stool I'd somehow vacated.

"Thanks." I murmured gratefully, signaling the bartender for two shots.

"S'nothin." Blue-eyes murmured back uncomfortably, standing completely still at my side.

I turned to look at him and was instantly sucked back into the piercing blue gaze as my eyes traced the features of his face, taking in his scruffy hair and the stubble over his chin and lip. He had backwoods written _all_ over him which had never been my type but this guy…he was something else and he'd started something inside me.

That's why I was about to do something I had _never_ done.

"Listen," I started after knocking back a shot. "Do you ever-"

"Gotta go." He muttered, focusing on something over my head toward the door. "Watch yer ass in this place Princess."

I choked on air when his disappeared as suddenly as he'd popped up, slinking into the shadows so expertly that I couldn't even _find_ him again. It made my eyes narrow in suspicion but I didn't have long to contemplate it because Jenny showed up at my side seconds after, looking completely disheveled and thoroughly fucked.

"What the _HELL_!?" I spat, anger rolling through my body.

"I can't even begin to explain." She huffed, sliding onto the stool next to me.

This new stunt was _not_ in the protocol, _not_ in the code, this was just her pure selfishness running ramped through the night and if the blue-eyed stranger _hadn't_ been there, _I_ would have been the one to pay the price. I stood and yanked her roughly from the bar, not even caring that she was shouting in protest or that she was older than me.

I was fucking pissed


	2. Chapter One

**Author's Note:** Just wanted to post the warning one more time here in case anyone didn't catch it! Doubtful, but still! This is the second chapter and it fast forwards to post-outbreak of the virus taking over everything! We find our sister duo outside of Atlanta after making a supply run!

_**Warning!:**_ So, this will be a bit AU, obviously since I'm adding in an OC. A few darkly themed stories gave _CountinggStars_ her first ideas on this story when she thought the OC up and her relationship with the younger Dixon brother. When we started working together I kind of lightened the darkness so that we still get a taste of the Daryl we know and love, he's just got some extra baggage in addition to what he _already_ has! That being said, Daryl won't be _EXACTLY_ like Daryl in the shows! He will be written a bit darker than he comes off in the beginning thanks to being around Merle, though I DO believe he will STILL become the badass hero we all know and love. I just wanted to warn you that he WILL be OOC and not strictly canon, so if you _don't_ like it like that...*gasps* RUN! There's a WALKER BEHIND YOU! :)

Hopefully though, you give Daryl and Rachel a chance!

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own The Walking Dead(TV Show, Comics, etc.), its characters, or any other copyrighted/trademarked material that may be mentioned in the story. I DO own my OC's(Thanks to a lovely friend!)- Rachel and Jenny Cartwright, their family members, and any other non-canon plot ideas/twists and turns I add in!**

Thanks for giving it a shot! Read, review, share, whatever! :) *Please no flames!

* * *

><p><em><strong>-50 Days Post-Outbreak-<br>**__**Rachel's POV**_

* * *

><p>The world had changed, and it changed us with it.<p>

Even though it was now a place that people like us could live in without any real worry about consequences to our jobs, it came with a price. Our once formal set of rules had been warped to include what we could make do with when the opportunity hit. We'd always been less on the right side of the law since starting but after living in a world where the dead rose to _eat_ the living, it pushed us even further from law-abiding than before.

We took what we needed, what we wanted, when we wanted to.

That was how we'd come across the beauty of a truck that was now speeding down the open highway, carrying us in the opposite direction of the city after we'd made a run in for supplies. The place was crawling with the dead and was even more dangerous every time we ventured in, but it was a necessary evil.

The guy we'd gotten the truck from had been a perverted _dick_ anyway.

"Station up here on the right." Jenny murmured, turning down the music my iPod supplied to the radio since the stations had long since cut out.

I nodded in answer, reaching behind me in the backseat for the compound bow that had become my new bestfriend and the guns Jenny and I always strapped on when we got out of the truck, even though they were a last resort. My thigh holster belted around my right leg, snapping in place before I slid the Glock into it's space inside of it on the outside of my leg. The machete would be next in the strap on the left side of my waist after I stepped out before I'd slide the quiver of arrows for my bow over my right shoulder.

Jenny's thing was knives, always had been, even before she'd recruited me.

Back when she _didn't_ follow the rules I'd suggested.

That and our mother's old gun.

"_Wait_," I murmured quietly, shutting the music off.

"What?" Jenny asked, glancing around.

My eyes narrowed at the sight in front of me, locking onto the gas station ahead. There was a light blue truck, older model, sitting in the parking lot, and if I looked closely I could _just_ make out two people milling about out front of it.

"People."

Jenny slowed the truck, cutting the engine so we wouldn't be overheard from our quarter-mile out. I watched carefully through the binoculars we had, judging the movements of the people in front of us to try and determine if they were living or if they had come back to life in _hunt_ of the living.

"Alive or dead?" Jenny muttered.

"Alive," I whispered, gazing steadily. "I think. Looks like two guys to me, both around the same height but one's a little more stocky and looks like he's got less hair."

We sat back, watching as the men walked around and checked the broken down cars for supplies, weighing our options. Jenny had just had her fill the day before, satisfying the urges for the time being, but with the stress of the new world she always jumped at the chance to blow off a little more steam. Plus they might have supplies we'd want.

_If_ they turned out to be our type of target.

"What do you think?" Jenny asked.

She'd made me a bigger part of the decision-making process since the incident all those months ago, _especially_ when everything had been shot to hell.

I arched a brow and smirked. "Why not check it out?"

She grinned cattily and we both slinked from the truck, attaching and readying weapons as we did. Our steps made absolutely no noise, pure silence as we slipped forward, darting from car to car in order to stay hidden. It wasn't the best angle to come in at but we'd done this multiple times, had a system. As we drew nearer I picked up on the dirty brunette's body, my lips curving up in a pleasurable smile as I raked his body over. For some reason it looked vaguely familiar but I chocked it up to the insanity of the post-apocalyptic world. I arched a brow and nodded in the brunette's direction.

"He looks delicious." Jenny murmured approvingly.

"He's fucking _mine_." I growled through a smirk.

I wouldn't lie, the life Jenny had torn me away from my old one to take part in had turned out to be interesting, enticing even. I didn't _need_ it, like she did, but I'd always been competitive and the game it presented was the ultimate competitive high. She grinned and nodded, continuing forward. We had just about made it when she pulled up short, making me knock into her from behind just slightly with a small _'umph!'_ sound escaping my tight lips.

"Where'd he go?" Jenny murmured.

I angled my body around her, searching out the guy I'd been eyeing only minutes before as we scampered through the maze of cars, but he was nowhere to be found. A sharp tingle zapped up my spine, screaming in recognition once more, but I pushed it off in annoyance.

"Well _fuck_." I hissed angrily.

"Let's just get _this_ one taken care of," Jenny murmured. "We can go from there."

"You mean _I_ can go." I corrected territorially.

She sighed quietly and nodded, signaling me forward before she rounded in the opposite direction to come at the man from his side. I rose from my crouched position, drawing back the string on my bow with an arrow already in place as I leveled it on the guy's head who still had his back to me, just in case he failed my sister's test.

Unaware idiot.

Jenny moved up stealthily along the side of the truck as I watched from my position further away, still training my eyes on the guy in case he made a move for my older sister before she was prepared. She leapt out easily, her blade ready to take action even though it wouldn't be the blow that'd kill him. I smirked as I watched her work, admiring her steps and silence.

That's when I felt the sharp edge of a blade slide against my throat.

Heated metal from being tucked into a hot body pressed to my skin, sliding down the fair expanse threateningly as hot breath tickled my neck and ear.

"Shhhh, you mak'a noise," He muttered. "I'll slit yer fuckin' throat."

The voice drew on something in my subconscious, making my insides heat up at the sound of it, but I ignored the sensation entirely as I attempted to struggle for my knife after letting the string of my bow back gently at his growled request. He beat me to it though, latching an arm that was banded with muscle like steel around my small waist and hoisting me backwards into his chest, the edge of his knife pressing in a little closer over the ridges of my throat to keep me quiet. A small sharp sting zipped through my body making me wince, and then I felt warm liquid pooling lazily in the dip of my throat.

_Blood_.

The bastard had _cut_ me.

Which made him a good enough target.

I decided then that I just might make my first kill on my own tonight.

The man hushed me once more as I kicked backwards at him, drawing me up to his chest even further and squashing me there heavily as the blade picked a new spot to hover over. Even though I was _seriously_ pissed off, I was at least slightly thankful he wasn't the type to put it right back where it had been before.

I screamed at Jenny with my mind but she was entirely oblivious, something that wasn't surprising. Our mental communication had been off since the night she left me at that bar and I'd used a stranger's help over hers. A _hot_ one, but a stranger nonetheless. I still screamed out loud though when the man she'd been stalking whipped around at the last second, catching her off guard and backhanding her with a sharp _crack_. She landed a few feet from him on the ground with a solid thud, a complete mess with her hair everywhere. There was another sharp shooting pain throughout my body as the knife made a second slice in warning to shut up but I continued to shout to her to get her ass up, ignoring the blood that now dripped down my throat as if it was nothing.

"Thought ya'd sneak up on me huh?" The man sneered down at Jenny, his voice even rougher than his counterpart who held me.

Speaking of, said man was shoving me forward to join us with my sister and the other man. I fought and scratched at his arms, still attempting to get to my knife or gun, but he seemed to know _just_ where to put his thick arm so that I couldn't get to it. It was entirely frustrating.

"Whatcha catch 'ere Darylina?" The balding man leered. "Sure is a fiery lil' ole thang."

"You son of a _bitch_!" I spat at him, smirking when I got him some in the chest.

He just laughed though, throwing his head back and grinning from ear to ear. I narrowed my eyes at him, watching as he got his kicks while the one that held me seemed to simply look on silently, resigned.

"Suppose you's right." The man mused once he could speak. "But I'm the sum'bitch _you_ bitches tried yer hand at messin' with."

I stayed quiet; I couldn't deny that one.

A moaning pain came from the ground and my heart kicked in my chest, restarting at a much higher rhythm than before. I felt the man holding me tense for a moment but he seemed to relax, as much as he could at least considering he was handling a lethal girl in his hands. Jenny moved around on the ground jerkily, seemingly coming out of whatever brief unconsciousness the guy had struck her with before her worried eyes darted up to me. The growl that came from her chest when she saw the blade against my throat, sunlight glinting off of it, was positively spine tingling but I shook my head quickly and darted my eyes to the man that now stood behind her in warning.

She froze, looked up, and let out the breathiest gasp I'd ever heard.

Like it was almost…_pleasurable_.

Then there was the moment that she jumped up, her wide and shocked eyes matching the expression on the man's face before she just…jumped him.

The man holding me jerked uncertainly but his partner held up his hand toward us and turned, showing us both that her attack hadn't been one with intent to kill but one with intent to _kiss_. She was all over him! Biting and sucking at him uncontrollably while he did the same to her before walking over and setting her on the truck's hood behind us to continue his assault. The guy holding me was so entirely shocked at the behavior that the blade dropped from my throat and released me. even though his arm stayed curled around my chest. But I didn't move away, just turned with him when he did to watch as my sister put her best fucking moves all over this totally random guy who'd just knocked her to the ground.

"What the _FUCK_?!" I screeched, unable to hold in my chaotic thoughts anymore.

Laughter came from them before Jenny sat up and grinned at me, resting her hands on the man's chest who leered back at me knowingly. I arched a brow, unable to recognize him or make a connection to him from life before, but she waved her hand at me after catching her breath, ready to explain.

"Rach," She breathed happily. "This is Merle. Merle, meet my baby sister- _she's_ the one I told you about that night."

My eyes grew large, glancing from her to him and back again without comprehending.

"Nice ta meet ya sweet cheeks." Merle cackled. "Ya weren't kiddin', she one helluva spitfire."

The man laughed with Jenny and I glared sternly at them both, entirely pissed that I was being left in the dark on whatever the hell this was. Confusion and a little bit of anger seemed to radiate from the guy behind me but I ignored him and kept my eyes glued to the couple in front of us.

"Kept fightin' my lil' bro over 'ere," Merle continued. "Even when she met 'is knife."

The mention of the blade alerted me to the pain in my throat again and I glanced down to see the trails of blood that had trickled down my chest more heavily than before, staining my shirt. I sighed quietly in annoyance, it'd been one of my favorites. None of us really took into account just how much blood I had actually lost after that second cut that had proven deeper than the first. There was a good bit staining my throat, chest and dripping back over my shoulders. The bad thing was that it was heavy and dark because I was dehydrated from the day.

"She's good like that." Jenny murmured, glancing at me in concern.

"Seems that'a way," Merle continued before motioning behind me. "An that's Daryl, _my_ lil' brother behind 'er there."

I glared at them both heatedly before I turned to meet the man who'd cut me twice, not expecting much of it. But then my greenish hazel eyes landed on bright ice blue ones and I sucked in a breath, sounding not unlike Jenny had before. The blue ones across from me widened slightly as mine darted over their owner to take in the familiar body structure, his bloodied shirt from holding me back against him, and waves of recognition rolled through me, explaining the sensation I'd had before that something about the brunette was familiar.

It was the blue-eyed stranger from the bar.

And that sharp gaze was the last thing I saw.


	3. Chapter Two

**Author's Note:** Another chapter here! I seriously hope you're enjoying the story even though it's just begun! I can't wait to see where it goes! Daryl's first POV scene is in this chapter! EEK! Freak out! Haha, remember the warning I posted about his character and attitude. I do hope that you like the way he's written though. Any constructive comments for him are definitely welcomed!

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own The Walking Dead (Why?! Daryl, come find me!), its characters, or any other copyrighted/trademarked material that may be mentioned in the story. I DO own my OC's- Rachel and Jenny Cartwright, their family members, and any other non-canon plot ideas/twists and turns I add in!**

Thanks for giving it a shot! Read, review, share, whatever! :) *Please no flames!

* * *

><p><strong><em>-Rachel's POV<em>****-**

* * *

><p>Darkness swam in front of my eyes as I attempted to force them open so that I could see, but nothing came of it. The only thing that stayed was the pitch black that clouded over my eyes and made it impossible to see anything. My other senses seemed to be heightened though because I could vaguely hear a deep rumbling that was louder than I expected and it vibrated through me, rocking the plush surface I was face down on. A particularly hard jolt rocked through me and pain blasted through my neck before shooting down into the rest of my body, making my stomach flip and turn in nausea. I let out a weak whimper of a moan in response, certain that death was supposed to be <em>much<em> more peaceful than this.

"S'alright." Someone murmured, more to themselves than me. "S'all gonna be alright."

I was _also_ pretty sure death wasn't supposed to come with company.

My eyes fought to open themselves, a battle that proved to be minutes long and only lasted mere seconds once I finally won it. I blinked rapidly, trying to clear the haze from my vision as I took in a stained floorboard and cloth seat under me.

"_Sure thought the truck was leather._" I mentally forced out in my muddled brain.

I turned my head, ignoring the searing pain that shot through my neck as I glanced at what seemed to be an old dash leading up to an even _older_ radio. My brows furrowed, knowing damn good and well this wasn't the truck Jenny and I had been occupying lately. The pain in my neck finally became too much though and I collapsed back against the seat, coughs wracking my body violently as I moaned through the pain they brought in my throat.

"Easy." Someone murmured again.

A warm hand pressed over my neck tightly but carefully and I struggled, though it was sickeningly feeble. Fear gripped me and I wondered if whoever it was that had me was going to finish the job of killing me right then and there. I tried to force my eyes open again but there was nothing.

Only darkness and the vague sounds of someone trying to hush me.

* * *

><p>I woke a few more times like that, though it wasn't exactly that way because there was no large hand at my throat or promises from a mysterious voice that everything would be just fine.<p>

However, there _was_ this strange sheet above me that was a yellowy-brown color and made my nose wrinkle in distaste inside my mind when I saw it. I had just enough time to make out a small crack in the sheet and noticed faint blue sky, but then I was gone again as blackness reached up and drug me under once more.

The next time my eyes opened I managed to dimly snatch a glimpse of my sister kneeling by my side with worry etched all over her normally warrior strong face. She called to me quietly but I couldn't answer, couldn't even croak out a word or mumble. She tried pressing a water bottle to my lips and I got to momentarily enjoy the feeling of the cool liquid on my tongue before I started to cough and sputter, choking as it flowed down my sore throat. My expression didn't change at all as I gazed at her but I frowned internally when I picked up on faint bruising over her cheek because I couldn't remember it being there before.

Before…_before_ was when we met those men and she'd-

Shadows filled my vision another time, bouncing off the strange sheet in the darkness. They flickered slightly and my eyebrows actually pulled down in confusion before my sluggish thoughts caught up with me to tell myself it was because of a fire, _firelight_ made things dance in the dark. There was another shadow though in the corner of the weird room I was in, hunched down on the floor. I got the feeling there was someone _there_, staring back at me, but even as I squinted I couldn't make anyone out. I tried to move my legs to swing over the side so I could get a better look but just that simple movement sent pain screaming through my body.

There was a high-pitched noise and suddenly a flurry of movement from all around me, strong hands gripping my body and holding me still to keep me from thrashing, hysterical yells and shouts from someone who sounded like Jenny and a gruff voice shouting for help to hold me down or I'd bust stitches.

Then darkness.

Sweet, peaceful, pain-free.

Nothingness.

* * *

><p><strong><em>-Daryl's POV-<em>**

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><p>Watching her.<p>

It had become like a compulsion, a job, a responsibility even though he knew he didn't owe the bitch a thing. _She'd_ come up on them first, made her move first, threatened them first. So why the hell did he feel the need to watch her, constantly. Every minute of every hour of every _fucking_ day.

He was _never_ too far.

In reality, it wasn't like he had anything else to do anyway. But people were beginning to notice, pick up on what he was doing. He hadn't been hunting in days, ever since they'd rushed in with her bleeding in his arms, and the camp was getting low on meat.

They all feared him and his brother, with good reason too. They were scary as fuck and knew it. Abrasive, rude, pissed off a good three quarters of the time.

Still, they depended on him.

It was annoying as hell but Merle said it was good to keep up, a good front for when they robbed the place blind and left in the dark of early morning.

But _now_?

Now he watched.

It was something he'd done from the beginning with her, from before the whole world went to shit and suddenly there were dead people up and walkin' round. He'd watched her breeze into the crowded bar on the heels of an older version of herself, watched her take shots, watched the way her throat constricted on the liquid fire as she swallowed each drop down and made him stiffen slowly.

Watched her find him, make eye contact with him, hold his penetrating gaze. Watched her ignore the douche next to her, watched her seek him out, watched her relax at his touch; _give_ herself over to him without him even needing to ask, without a second thought- sure that she was safe.

Far from it.

He'd barely seen her coming, though he didn't know it was her then. He saw her fire as she struggled even as his blade dipped into her fair skin, the mix of her fight and her body writhing against his even as she bled turning him on in ways he couldn't express.

He'd watched her anger, her surprise, the pure _shock_ crossing her face when she made eye contact with him for the second time.

He'd seen her falling before he shot forward, catching her before she hit the ground in a heap.

What he _hadn't_ seen was how close to passing out she'd been, how dehydrated she was, how the blood had looked.

The blood, thick and heavy, settled in his hands as he carried her to the truck.

He heard the slam of his brother's heavy fist into her sister's face and sides, heard the plan to introduce them to the group- two sisters who had been overrun by men, assaulted, threatened, beat and cut.

_Her_ blood on _his_ hands.

And now he watched her here, lying on his bed in his tent, her blood soaking the stained blankets when she had still bled through the stitches her sister had seemingly expertly sewn. He was there each time she opened her eyes, watching from his corner of the heated tent, waiting for her to wake. She had three times, but each time she'd faded away again and her sister had become more and more worried she wouldn't make it through, even as they pushed water on her, tilting her head back to help her swallow.

It was a good thing he watched.

Because _this_ time, she woke and gazed around her, centering in on the shadows of the night before taking notice of him for the first time since he'd sliced her a week before. She stared at him steadily, squinting as if she couldn't make him out.

But then she tried to move and everything went to _shit_ from there.

Kicking, thrashing, screaming just like she had the day he'd snatched her up against him. Only this time she was going to hurt herself, bust the stitches that held her skin together at the neck as it healed or worse. That didn't stop her though from continuing to scream, even as he sprang into action and clamped his hands down on her shoulders.

"Need some help in 'ere!" Daryl shouted, forcing his gruff voice to rise over hers.

Scuffling sounded out from the outside before the thin material of the tent door was thrown to the side hastily and her blonde sister rushed in, followed closely by his brother, the Chinaman and the douchebag who'd deemed himself leader of the group.

"What the _hell_ happened?" Shane shouted above her screams and his grunts.

Even weak she was _damn_ hard to contain.

"Rach? Rach!" Jenny shouted through almost tears, bending over her sister's thrashing body next to him. "Rachel Lee you _stop_ this!"

Daryl grunted again, making eye contact with his brother over the crying girl's shoulder. She'd been tough as nails, they both knew it, but the possible loss of her sister had set a stress so heavy on her she'd been near breaking down for days. Daryl motioned to the screaming girl's ankles with his head, needing help Jenny couldn't give. Merle got the message and latched onto Rachel's legs, pushing her down into the makeshift bed heavily to still her thrashing.

"You…you- what are you _doing_ to her?!" The Asian kid yelled, panicked at seeing both of the roughnecks manhandling the pretty girl they'd hauled in.

"What _needs_ ta be done!" Daryl grunted, leaning down over her again to band and arm over her heaving chest, his other hand looping up to press against her forehead, steadying her neck.

"We don' an she'll blow them stitches quick like. Prolly won' make it a second time'a round." Merle snapped, his easy anger ignited by the nosey geek.

She carried on a few seconds more, her pain-dimmed eyes meeting his once and stilling the breath in his chest, but with such strong grips to work against the fight left her body as quickly as it had come and she slipped back into a deep sleep again, her own breathing labored but steady. Daryl rocked back on his heels at her head while Merle gave him a sharp nod before dismissing the other camp members and pulling Jenny out of the small tent. The girl needed a break from it all, and he could give that to her no problem.

Daryl stood, ignoring the sting of muscles uncramping as he gazed down at the girl once more. He pushed the hair away from her sweaty forehead before righting the thin blanket on top of her bare skin that he tried desperately to ignore.

She looked too damn _good_, even sick and fragile.

"Jus' wake yer ass up Princess." He muttered, resuming his position in the corner. "Wake up."


	4. Chapter Three

**Author's Note: **New chapter here! Woo! I wonder if any of you can start guessing what may have happened to Rachel and her sister in the past after this chapter, or if you have any inklings to their 'jobs'. Enjoy reading!

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own The Walking Dead (Why?! Daryl, come find me!), its characters, or any other copyrighted/trademarked material that may be mentioned in the story. I DO own my OC's- Rachel and Jenny Cartwright, their family members, and any other non-canon plot ideas/twists and turns I add in!**

Thanks for giving it a shot! Read, review, share, whatever! :) *Please no flames!

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><p><em><strong>-Rachel's POV-<strong>_

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><p><em>I felt the thick fog around my mind lifting, the haze in front of my vision slowly diminishing until there was nothing left and my eyelids were finally able to flutter open. I laid without moving, staring up at the bright white tiles that formed the ceiling above me as my brows furrowed in confusion.<em>

_This _wasn't_ where I'd woken up before._

_Gingerly, I swung my legs over the side of the sheet-less cot I was laid across. I expected searing pain like I vaguely remembered from before but none came and I was easily able to bend my knees so I could lift myself into a sitting position. A shiver traced my spine when my bare feet connected with freezing cold tiles that were the same bright white color as the ceiling was. My hand instinctively rose to my throat, knowing there should be some pain from that area. But there was nothing, not even a scratch._

_"What the _hell_?" I asked aloud, my hands circling my neck hastily._

_"Watch your mouth young lady."_

_A gasp ripped through my throat when the echo of the familiar voice rang out, bouncing off the white walls of the tiny room. I was on my feet in seconds, spinning around in circles as my eyes darted around the room in search of its owner, but she wasn't there. My hands shook violently and my eyes widened to a comical size I'm sure, but still…she _wasn't_ there._

_"Here sweetheart."_

_I whipped around immediately at her words, my hand flying to my mouth as a film of tears covered my eyes when they laid on her. She stood there with a sad smile, dressed all in white with hair like mine that curled in easy waves down her shoulders._

_"M-mom?" I whispered, unbelieving._

_She nodded slightly, continuing to gaze at me._

_"H-how? I don't…I don't _understand_."_

_My voice rose a little on the words, gaining strength as my eyes gulped her in. I hadn't seen her in years, years and years, and now she was there; right in front of me._

_"You _can't_ give up Rachel." She murmured, tilting her head down._

_I frowned at her words, not understanding the meaning. I couldn't give up? I was living in the damn _apocalypse_, kicking ass and taking names at Jenny's side. We'd plowed through uncountable numbers of the dead, stuck by each other's side despite each other's vices since they day our mother had died…how was I giving up?_

_"You mustn't give up Rachel."_

_My frowned deepened and I opened my mouth, voicing my thoughts. "Give up _what_? The world has ended, what's left to give up?"_

_She was silent a moment as she gazed at me, that knowing stare leveling on my eyes as I began to get that vague feeling that I was in trouble like I had when I was younger; so much younger. Back when she'd been there, when they hadn't taken her away._

_"Hope." My mother whispered before staring down at my hands. "Don't give up _hope_."_

_She continued to stare down where my hands gripped my sides and I glanced down to catch a glimpse of what she was staring at only to scramble back, a piercing scream gurgling out of my throat. My hands were stained hues of red, completely coated in blood as it dripped to the floor and pooled around my feet in a rising puddle. In my hasty retreat my feet sloshed around in the warm liquid, kicking it up and splashing it across the pristine tile to stain the white expanse there. I looked up in a panic for my mother, not understanding what this could mean, but she was gone again._

_The blood surged up, rising quickly to flood the room._

_It hit my hips, my waist, my chest, as I clawed at the walls after jumping up on the cot. But there was no way out, no escape from the rising crimson tide, and soon the metallic liquid flooded my mouth as I sputtered and choked on the bitter taste and tried to swim my way-_

Adrenaline coursed through my veins in an icy-hot wave when my eyes sprang open as I gasped deeply for breath, marveling that my airways were no longer blocked with gallons and gallons of blood. I snapped my head left and right, taking in the same yellow-brown sheets that enclosed me in a small area and I dimly recognized it as a tent when I hadn't been able to before. I swung my head in all directions, wincing at the sharpness of dull pain that shot through my neck when I did so this time, but there was no blood, no white tiles…no ghost of a mother.

"Jesus _Christ_." I muttered, dropping my head in my hands.

My lungs continued to suck in deep gulps of oxygen like I'd been depriving them of the necessary element while I'd been dreaming and as the adrenaline wore down I picked up on the growing soreness in my neck and muscles along with the sweltering heat that seemed to settle in the small enclosure. I gently touched my fingers to my throat, only to find that I couldn't get to the skin there. Instead, there were what felt like thick gauze bandages that covered the area where I was cut. Kicking my legs gently, only to cringe at the pain that radiated through them from nonuse, I pushed the blankets away to reveal my bare skin, only covered by an old pair of spandex shorts I'd used to sleep in and a sports bra.

"What the…" I murmured, glancing around.

But there were no other clothes for me anywhere…not for a _girl_ at least.

I needed answers, _now_, because it seemed I'd woken up in a whole new alternate dimension than I'd already been in.

Taking another deep breath, I pushed at the makeshift bed under me to lift myself to shaking legs that wobbled on the uneven ground underneath my feet. Each step was like learning to walk again as I inched toward the flap that rippled in a heated breeze gently. The closer I got the easier it was to make out noises coming from outside my confines; voices, laughter, the scraping of pots and pans…all sounds you wouldn't expect when the world had gone to shit.

Grasping the flap tightly in one hand and steeling myself, demanding balance, I pulled it back and squinted against the bright sunlight that flooded my vision and made it hard to see. The hot breeze actually felt decent against my heated skin, pushing the hair back from my face with its sharp gusts that came every few seconds as it tore through the area I found myself standing in.

There were multiple tents in addition to the one I'd just stepped from, it looked to be about fifteen or twenty at a rough guess and a large RV seemed to hold the central spot with a handmade fire pit in front of it, making it the center of what could only be a camp. People milled about doing random chores or simply sat talking and I easily picked up on the fact that the women seemed to be handling 'kitchen duty'. Movement to the left caught my eye and I arched a brow when I noticed three or four kids playing with a few balls off to the side. No one seemed to have noticed me yet and I took that moment to gaze around me, taking it all in.

"Where the _hell_ am I?" I hissed aloud to myself.

"Camp." A gruff voice echoed out behind me, answering my question.

"_SHIT!"_ I screeched, whipping around as I tried to step backwards, only to have my movements become an epic fail.

His thickly muscled arms shot out and grasped my waist, tugging me back toward him and holding me upright so that I wouldn't fall to the dusty ground beneath our feet. Somehow, in the entire flurry of movement, he managed to never hold me against him for too long. Like touching me was uncomfortable but necessary.

"Easy Princess." He murmured, steadying me on my feet before letting go of me.

I gazed up at the stranger with blue eyes, my mind trying to filter through the last events that I could remember. The run in the city, seeing two men at the gas station, sneaking up on them and then being grabbed, the knife…and those _eyes_.

Those gorgeous and soul-piercing blue eyes that I had thought of on countless occasions since I'd first seen them months before.

I looked up at him with wide eyes, still trying to grasp onto the reality of my surroundings after being thrown off by the nightmare and the fact that I was in a new place. He simply stared back down at me silently, his eyes squinting against the sun and his lips set in a small scowl.

"Are you okay?!"

"Is she-?"

Shouts rang out from the camp behind us and I saw and felt the man tense in front of me. He was uneasy as heavy footsteps trotted over to where we stood and I got the distinct feeling that something was going on I was unaware of. My best bet until I could talk to Jenny would be to play it by ear and follow this guy's lead. His hard eyes gazed down into mine, silently communicating the same realization I had already drawn and I nodded curtly before turning to find a small group of people crowding the area we stood in.

One was tall with unruly and curling black hair that seemed to hold himself up as leader without even saying anything. My eyes narrowed as I took in his stance, pegging his egotistical nature from far away even though we had yet to meet. He hung back and eyed me just as carefully as I eyed him and I swept him, easily picking up on the old police shirt.

_"No wonder."_ I thought.

Another guy that seemed about my age came forward without caution to me as a newcomer, concern and worry etched across his features before a blush tinted his cheeks when his eyes raked over my appearance. He was Asian and almost a little timid as I gazed at him curiously, wondering why he seemed so concerned for someone he didn't even know.

Because he _didn't_ know me…none of them did.

"Honey? Are you alright?"

I turned again to find a woman approaching me, shrugging off the grip of the man I figured to be an ex-cop as she stepped toward me with something along the lines of motherly concern even though she couldn't be but ten years older than me.

"Ye-yes." I coughed out, my throat scratchy and dry. "I just almost tripped over my own feet, my balance is still a little shaky."

The woman smiled and nodded before calling over her shoulder. "Carl? Will you bring me some bottled water at the first-aid kit?"

My eyes snapped to the side when I noticed the rushed movements of a small boy as he darted from her side. I hadn't even _seen_ him there before and I watched as he threw the RV door open and leaped inside in search of her requests. I was so focused on him, still chastising myself for not noticing his presence, that I didn't see the woman reach out and grasp my arm lightly in an attempt to guide me toward the logs that surrounded a fire pit in front of the tent I'd woken up in. I jerked back out of her grasp immediately as if she had burned me, the movement jarring my balance once more and sending me stumbling back into the chest of the man who had stood silently behind me. I didn't move from his touch though when he steadied me, something that prickled at my mind even as I brushed it off.

For whatever reason, _he_ felt safe.

"It's okay," The woman murmured, looking a little shocked and hurt at the same time. "It's okay, I'm _not_ going to hurt you Rachel. I've been helping take care of you with your sister, I'm Lori."

I froze at the mention of Jenny, straightening my spine and supporting my own weight once more as I gazed at her with wide eyes.

"My _sister_?" I questioned. "Where's my sister?"

As if she recognized the fear in my tone and face when images of the worst things I could imagine filtered through my mind, she shook her head violently and let out an apologetic noise.

"She's fine, just fine." Lori murmured.

I stared at her for a moment longer before switching my gaze to the man behind me. I looked at him in question, knowing only he could really answer the question that I held in my eyes. He nodded tightly before opening his mouth, his gruff voice drifting over my nerves and making me shiver.

"Went on a run wit Merle, that s'all." He muttered, crossing his toned arms over his chest.

I nodded and swallowed hard as I glanced up, taking in the worried expressions of the multiple people in front of me and those of people behind them as the boy, Carl, dashed back out of the RV with supplies in tow. They all seemed worried about me and I couldn't understand _why_; and I had no one to ask. Jenny had left me here to go off with this Merle person and I felt the dull burn of anger rise again at the familiarity of the situation. I sucked in a breath, finally letting Lori lead me to the log she had intended to before she guided me on shaky knees to sit. I did so heavily, the air leaving my lungs in a huff as I looked around again at those who stood silently around me.

"Alright," I murmured, gazing into the bright blue eyes of his. "What the hell happened?"


	5. Chapter Four

**Author's Note:** Another chapter! This is where I started working with CountinggStars on ideas and plotline for the characters! So, I hope you all like the direction we decided to point it in. After this it will be my original writing along with her help and suggestions after reviewing chapters to update with. Enjoy!

Who all is excited Daryl is back on the screen?! _MEEEE_!

Please feel free to read, review, pimp, suggest, whatever! But, keep any hating or flames to yourself, no one likes to read those!(:

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own The Walking Dead (psh, if I did Daryl would be mineeee all mine. *Cough* Hint *Cough* Norman!), its characters or any other copyrighted or trademarked material that may be mentioned. I DO own my cheeky OC's- Rachel & Jenny, plus my personal plot ideas that are added in!**

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><p><em><strong>-Rachel's POV-<strong>_

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><p>I looked to him, waiting for the blue eyed stranger that I felt instinctively comfortable with to take the lead on explaining, figuring that was my best bet. His eyes held mine for what seemed like a long time but was mere seconds before he edged into my line of sight while Lori turned my head gently, working to gently peel the bandage that was hot and scratchy on my neck, back away from my skin.<p>

"Got yerself roughed up, you and yer sister both." He muttered, his voice rough and low, uncomfortable.

He didn't like talking in crowds.

"They found you just in time it looked like." Lori hissed, angered. "Chased off the men that did this, _bastards_." Carl, her son I was guessing, snickered quietly while I smirked and Lori froze, looking guilty. "Don't you _dare_ repeat that."

"What do you remember?"

The gruff voice broke me out of my smile I'd been sharing with the boy over his mother's slip up. I met the eyes of the dark-haired man who I'd pegged as an ex-cop (_everybody_ was an ex-whatever now) as I looked up, his tone untrusting. He was trying to pin me with his stare but I simply gazed back up at him openly, ignoring the way my supposed rescuer stiffened ever so slightly at his gruff questioning.

"Not much." I murmured, wincing as the tape pulled on my skin and Lori whispered her apologies. "My sister and I had made a run into the city for supplies, that's pretty clear. We were jumped I guess? A lot is...fuzzy."

He nodded, watching as the gauze was finally removed and he visibly winced, making me wonder just how bad it was, or looked rather.

"You remember what they looked like?" He pushed, narrowing his eyes.

I couldn't tell if it was because he didn't believe me or if it was because he wanted to get his hands on the people responsible, still operating on his police instincts.

"Shane, leave her alone." Lori laughed, though her tone was serious. "She _just_ woke up for God's sakes!"

I smiled at her in thanks, flinching as I hissed in a breath of air when she pressed an pad soaked with peroxide to the slice in my neck, the bubbling coolness a stark but welcome change to my heated skin. My eyes cut left when I noticed _him_ frowning, wincing along with me, though he scowled when my eyes met his. Everyone was silent as Lori checked over what I guessed were my stitches from the feel of it, looking out for any signs of infection, though I _really_ wished I could take a look myself.

"Make sure you don't get them too wet," I murmured without thinking. "It'll promote infection."

Her hands stilled for a moment before she glanced at me, arching an eyebrow.

"Get these often?" Lori laughed, her eyes darting to mine.

"More like I gave them often." I snorted, my mind flashing back to all my intern hours of being handed simple shit in the ER, that's what being a rookie got you.

"You're a DOCTOR?!" Carl exclaimed, gazing at me with wide eyes and gaining attention from others spaced throughout the camp with his shout.

_Fuck_.

I had already been questioning the nature of the little group as my eyes darted around in the silence, keeping my mind off the tiny tugs and pulls from Lori's inexperienced hands while she worked and I satisfied my brewing curiosity. They seemed pretty ragtag, probably banded together when all the shit hit the fan in Atlanta, making it out just in time. They were actually pretty settled in within the little clearing which was mind-blowing to me after being on the move so long with Jenny. I couldn't even imagine it, staying in one place for a long enough time to actually establish a camp.

And a group like _them_, hoping for stability in the insanity, wouldn't want to let a doctor out of their grasp easily.

"Kinda." I smiled, though it was strained. "I was an intern out of med school for almost a year before...this."

No need to tell them I'd quit before the outbreak to go on along with Jenny.

"How lucky are we?!" The Asian kid grinned down at me, confirming my suspicions as I forced myself to hold back the eye roll.

_Fantastic_.

My eyes turned back to Lori's; avoiding the hopefully excited gaze from them, the calculating gaze of Shane, _and_ the intuitive hint in my supposed rescuer's eyes before I cleared my throat to murmur. "How long was I out?"

"Week an' two days." _He_ muttered before anyone else could speak, drawing my eyes back to his in surprise.

Despite his lack of comfort when speaking in groups, he'd been quick to answer my question, and the way the ex-cop's eyes flew to him and the small smirk that formed on Lori's lips added to my already nagging idea that he might have been around the whole time I was out of it. He _was_ responsible after all. Though that wasn't entirely fair since I'd been stalking up on him too. Everything actually _was_ a bit fuzzy, most of my memories were stuck at the gas station, but there was just this _feeling_ that I'd been watched over the entire time.

By more than my sister.

Who was _still_ missing.

I looked down as I nodded in his direction, hiding the scowl that played on my lips due to my sister's absence, irritated that she'd left in the first place while I was still knocked out. I sure as hell wouldn't have left her.

"How long will they be gone?" I asked suddenly, looking back up to his eyes as Lori finished bandaging my neck.

He shrugged, glancing off toward the trees. "T'morrow evenin' maybe, they went opposite way 'a Atlanta."

I nodded as I stood, still a little wobbly on my balance, which caused me to reach out as Lori steadied me on my feet. It was _hot_, ungodly so, and my skin was sticky and uncomfortable with the tight shorts and sports bra clinging to it for dear life. It definitely felt like I hadn't had a bath in a week, even though I was sure Jenny had taken care of me, and it dawned on me just how lucky I was to not be dead. Coming back from a week-long unconsciousness was hard enough in a fully functioning _hospital_, much less a people-eating, end of the word shit show. My eyes flitted to the truck my sister and I had been occupying before as we traveled and then to the tent pitched right beside it. I prayed to all that was good and holy she'd unpacked some of our stuff, mainly the shampoo and some clothes.

"I need to wash this crap off me. How do y'all-" I trailed off as I spun, taking in the deep ravine next to me for the first time. "_Oh_."

Well, there ya go.

Inching forward from the small campfire pit that my welcoming committee was grouped around, my eyes finally hit the bottom of the gaping hole to find clear blue water that rippled with the breeze that whistled through the manmade valley. My lips turned up in a smirk as I gazed at the quarry below us, nearly unbelievingly.

These people had struck _gold_.

Sure it took boiling which could be a hassle, but that was an almost unlimited water source.

"_Jesus_." I breathed.

"Awesome right?"

My head whipped to the side, startled to find the Asian kid had sidled up next to me, even though it looked like he'd been nervous to do so. When my light green gaze met his dark one the blush that had spread over his cheeks earlier when he'd checked me out returned (grimy skin, dirty hair, and all), staining his skin a faint pink as I smiled brightly.

He was cute.

"It _definitely_ is." I agreed, my eyes flitting back once to catch blue eyes watching us, an almost irritated expression on his face. "I can't wait to get down there."

"Should you really be trying that so soon?" Lori questioned, stepping up beside me with a worried, motherly gaze.

I opened my mouth to respond but was cut off, the guy's overeager voice filling the air.

"_I_ can help her!" He rushed to speak, sending me a smile. "I'm Glenn, by the way."

"Oh thank you Glenn," I said, though my voice was a little tight with strain. "But really, it's not a big deal, I can handle it."

"But you haven't even _eaten_ in-" Glenn protested, his quick smile turning into a frown.

"I got 'er."

Everyone froze when _his_ gruff voice filtered through the air, though my reason was entirely different from everyone else's I'm sure. His tone soothed my nerves almost instantaneously, my shoulders relaxing from where they'd drawn together and cramped my shoulder blades, his offer easing the tension from my body effortlessly. Once more, just like that night months ago, every single nerve in my body _screamed_ to attention and pulled toward him, it was almost magnetic. It took all I had not to let my eyes fall closed in bliss at the rough pitch that rumbled from his chest, all masculine and deep as it curled around me.

"I don't know about-" Shane sputtered after a second.

I didn't miss the clenching in _his_ hands.

"No, no, it's fine." I assured, my expression reassuring as I glanced at them all, ignoring the disappointed expression on Glenn's face. "I have a feeling _you_ won't let me go down there by myself anyway." I spoke to Lori laughingly, trying to ease the sudden concern that bloomed in her irises.

Apparently blue eyes wasn't everyone's favorite camper.

Tough shit, I needed fucking _answers_.

"A-Alright." Lori muttered tensely before dropping her tone. "If you need _anything_…just, yell."

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><p><em><strong>-General POV's-<strong>_

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><p>Shane glared at the retreating backs of Daryl and this new girl, Rachel Cartwright, as they descended down the steep hill of the quarry to the water below, taking it slow. He already had the feeling she was <em>hiding<em> something, cop's intuition told him that, he just couldn't put a finger on what it was exactly. She was a doctor, or an intern she said, and that could be _more_ that useful to the group. Medical help was hard pressed in this new world and a doctor, intern or not, plus an older sister that she'd obviously taught a few things to, could be priceless.

But she had secrets.

Secrets could endanger Lori and Carl, something Shane wouldn't risk.

And willingly going off with Daryl Dixon didn't help the girl's case none.

She _was_ a hot piece of ass though.

That long chocolate-colored hair with its perfectly spaced lighter tones made him want to reach out and grip it tight in his hands so he could work that pretty little mouth of hers. And those eyes, _damn_ those eyes if they weren't wide and innocent looking. It was damn tempting to watch her walk around in those barely there clothes, even _with_ the weeks' worth of recovery keeping her in a slightly grimy state.

He'd tame her.

If there wasn't Lori.

Still, it didn't settle well with him at all that it was _Dixon_ of all people wrapping a hand around that tanned arm, guiding her down the rocky slope. What the hell did she see in his hillbilly dumbass anyway? She'd been quick to balk at the idea of taking anyone with her down to the quarry but at his offer she was more than happy to oblige. Did she actually feel _safe_ with this guy?

She'd be lucky to come back up the hill in one piece.

_**...**_

Glenn was purely disappointed.

This was the _first_ girl his age to join the camp, aside from Amy who he'd already struck out with anyway, and she was _gorgeous_. Even with the dirt and sweat from being knocked out all week, she was pretty. All that hair tumbling in the wind, those glittery green eyes, and that perfect little smile…just talking to her had made his pulse quicken.

"Stupid," He muttered under his breath, kicking a rock.

She probably thought he was an idiot for being so quick to offer his help, especially since he blushed like a fourteen year-old girl in the process.

"Stupid, stupid, _stupid_!"

Now, instead of him aiding her in whatever she might need down there(Maybe wrapping her in a towel? Oh Jesus), it was _Daryl freaking Dixon_!

Of all the people she'd picked to help her, it was the backwoods hunter with hands that were bloody half the time!

Was she totally _crazy_?!

The guy was positively lethal and scared the _shit_ out of just about everyone in camp. Sure, Merle was definitely the worst of the two with his own case of bad, his prescription drug highs and his lewd comments about women, but Daryl was just plain _scary_. The guy was positively silent ninety percent of the time, didn't make a noise hardly when he walked around. He'd come up behind Glenn and scared the living daylights out of him too many times to count, only grunting in response after. He stuck to his side of camp for the most part, didn't talk to anyone besides his brother unless he _had_ to, and seemed to have a hell of a temper.

He was the reason they had food though, meat at least.

And he had watched over Rachel.

_Constantly_.

Glenn frowned, thinking it over. It was strange how he'd come peeling into the camp that evening and rushed the girl to _his_ tent to be taken care of instead of the RV. When someone usually got hurt and he was around he just shrugged or walked away, maybe helped them to the women if they needed it, but with Rachel he'd been different. Daryl had nearly growled at Shane when he demanded to move her to Dale's camper, making the injured girl's older sister insist that they stay exactly where they were as she worked with him to stop the bleeding and then stitched her neck up, her own injuries purpling and bruising on her face and arms.

And now Rachel was up and walking off with him, _alone_…just like her sister had gone off with Merle, not heeding the warning Lori and multiple other women from camp had whispered in her ear.

In fact, he was pretty sure Jenny had stayed with Merle in her tent…more than once.

What did they _see_ in these guys?!

Glenn sighed, waving off Dale's fatherly concern as he stole a peek of the duo that had made it down to the water. Jealousy surged in his gut when she smiled up at the hunter with ease, even more than she had with him. He huffed quietly, turning away to get some water so he could start making a plan.

She was too sweet to be interested in _Daryl_ of all people.

He'd make her see.


	6. Chapter Five

**Author's Note: **Last update of the day...maybe! I definitely need to be working on my other stories, I just got so excited when I was handed this! Hope you all enjoy Daryl and Rachel's interactions, I know I do! God I'd love to be her, especially in _this_ chapter, zombies and all!

**Disclaimer: I own nothing from The Walking Dead (psh, if I did Daryl would be mineeee all mine. *Cough* Hint *Cough* Norman!). I also own nothing that is copyrighted or trademarked, etc. I just own my cheeky OC's- Rachel & Jenny, plus my personal plot ideas that are added in!**

Thanks for giving it a shot! Read, review, share, whatever! :) *Please no flames!

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><p><strong><em>-Rachel's POV-<em>**

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><p>It was nearly silent as we made our way down the slope that led to the crystal blue water of the quarry; the only sounds came from our soft breaths and the skittering of rocks our feet dislodged from the path. I slipped more than once as we walked and the first time I had squeezed my eyes shut in preparation for landing on my ass, only to slowly open them up again when a warm hand gripped my upper arm tightly, though carefully.<p>

Striking blue eyes met mine when I angled my head backward, surprised to find him holding on to me when touch seemed to be something he avoided, along with conversation. What was even _more_ surprising was his hand staying in its spot, guiding me down through the rocks easily in my, grudgingly admitted, weakened state.

He was almost…gentle.

Something that his projected attitude and persona did _not_ seem to make possible.

He was quick to release me though when the terrain evened out, too much touching for his comfort. I hid my smile behind a curtain of my hair, gross as it may be, when he sidled over to my left, putting a good foot or so of space between us.

Far enough to set him more at ease but close enough to latch onto me if I decided to be a dumbass and fall.

He was…curious.

Memories from that night at the bar filtered through my mind as I stared out at the peaceful water, watching the tiny ripples from the little bit of a breeze that managed to reach the surface. He'd been careful to touch me then too, more than ready to release me once that drunken prick and his buddies had hauled ass. He'd even been quicker to disappear, following after his brother I'd assume since Jenny showed up seconds later after fucking the guy. The few hazy memories I had left from the gas station before I'd passed out in, what I would assume was, his truck merged with the ones from the bar. His easy disappearance into the bar lit shadows now made perfect sense, especially after his disappearing from view and doubling back to get the drop on me.

Bastard was silent on his feet and _damn_ good at melting into his surroundings, despite the aura of power that settled around him thickly.

So thickly it brought shivers to my spine.

_Especially_ when I thought about his teeth, scraping teasingly over my-

"S'right there girl," He muttered. "Whatchu waitin' on?"

I started a bit, my blush the evidence of the heat that had bloomed in my body as I arched an eyebrow, still keeping my gaze on the water in front of us.

"How about your _name_?" I quipped, leaning down to put my bathing supplies on the ground.

There was silence that made me smirk as I bent over to snatch my new clothes from on top of the shower caddie Jenny had rigged up before I walked a few paces and spread them out on a rock for safe, dry keeping. I could _feel_ his eyes on me the entire time I moved, watching me as I worked. The feeling sent a bazillion more tingles through my body and only encouraged the heat in my chest to grow, totally distracting me. Still, I didn't turn; simply waited for an answer to my question. I anchored my hands to my hips as I frowned down at the shampoo, once again cursing Jenny for not being at the camp when I woke. I couldn't get the nearly healed sutures on my neck wet, not _'submerged in a manmade lake'_ wet, which left me with a huge problem.

There was no way to wash my hair.

Not by _myself _at least.

"Daryl." He muttered gruffly.

I turned then, fixing him with a grin that made his eyes widen before they returned to their squinted indifference. "Daryl," I murmured, trying it out on my tongue. It felt…good. _Really_ good. "It's about time," I continued, smirking. "One bar rescue and knife attack later."

His expression was a mix between startled humor and scowling irritation.

It made me giggle.

"Well?" He snapped, gesturing toward the water. "Get yer ass in 'nd get done."

I bit my lip, glancing at the serene water and back to him. It was as if he could read my mind and jerked a step back, an expression that said _'Not no but HELL no'_ fixed itself on his features and I huffed out a sigh, rolling my eyes. I strode toward the water with my shampoo in hand, sucking in a gasp of surprise at its natural coolness in the Georgia heat as my feet connected with the edge before I bit down on my lip and walked further into its depths.

"Shittt," I hissed, biting back a shiver as I sunk down, unsteadily, to my ass.

It was a precarious shelf bottom full of tiny stones that were both smooth and sharp, mixing in with a sand or silt. I sighed as my body acclimated itself to the temperature and it became a lukewarm bath, easing the soreness in my legs.

It was really…nice.

There was still the problem of my stitches though.

I frowned, ignoring the wave of near smugness that seemed to reverberate from Daryl where he stood behind me, refusing to help.

It was quickly dispatched though when I came up with an idea and anchored my shampoo in the shallow water behind me, the top still above the waterline. My back arched as I tipped backward, slowly easing my body down inch by inch as the delicious feeling of water lapping at my skin and hair overtook me until my long locks where submerged. It put my back in a strain, pulling my abs and stomach muscles tight, but it was still _heaven_ compared to walking around with a week's worth of sweat and blood caked to either. I eased my fingers through my hair, soaking it all with the quarry water, but soon had to sit up when my muscles screamed for release. I kept my hair back over my shoulders in an attempt to keep as much water off my neck as possible while I rested them momentarily before dipping back once more, thoroughly wetting it as I scrubbed at my scalp and the strands.

"_I should have let Glenn take me."_ I thought snottily, ignoring the fact that I was being a brat _and_ considering using a guy just for his help. Hey, a knife had sliced my neck open. I deserved the moment. _"He'd have helped me wash my hair."_

When my muscles began to burn again I uncurled my back to sit up once more, nearly snarling at myself when a weakened whimper escaped my lips after I slipped down an inch or so further into the water than I had intended instead of making it back up. The sheer _frailness _of the noise pissed me off to no end and I glared at the sky, forcing my body to right itself, even as I pulled in tiny gasps of air afterwards and winced at the strain in my neck.

"Yer gonna bust yer damn stitches girl." Daryl snapped nearer to my position, pissed off.

But the sound of disturbed water filled my ears before the shampoo was yanked roughly from my grasp as I reached for it and I was splashed with the cool water, pulling a tiny shriek of surprise from my lips.

He glared down at me.

I glared up at him.

"Turn around." Daryl growled, narrowing his eyes.

My eyes widened as my still foggy mind correlated the shampoo in his hand and the annoyed expression on his face before I whipped back around in almost giddy happiness while my muscles sang in relief, the task of washing my hair awkwardly to keep my stitches dry no longer mine. The rest of my nerves rippled in anticipation, enjoying his nearness as he came to stand right behind me even as he grumbled underneath his breath in annoyance, the heat of his presence warming the water closest to me. I expected rough movements, and they were, but not in a painful way. Just more masculine, _obviously_, as he poured the shampoo on my head and gruffly rubbed it in to my hair.

"Are you doing this because you feel _bad_?" I halfway teased, tilting my head back into his hands. "You know, for slicing my neck open?"

_Oh, his hands._

They felt fucking good…_too_ good.

"Shut up." Daryl growled again, still pissed, no doubt cursing women, shampoo, and hygiene in general.

And probably _my_ existence as well.

But somehow, I couldn't bring myself to care.

His hands were unbelievably large as they wound their way through my hair, soaping it quickly but thoroughly. He did a surprisingly good job of it, and I found myself relaxing in his hands completely as he worked, every muscle in my body easing out the soreness that came with immobility for a week, the lactic acid _finally_ fizzling out. It was when his fingernails gently grazed my scalp when he accidentally tugged my hair as he switched sides though, that it happened.

_I_ blame his hands.

Or my dropped guard.

But a quiet moan slipped from my lips at the coupled sensation while it left a tingle to shoot through my _entire_ body.

And his fingers froze.

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><p><strong><em>-Daryl's POV-<em>**

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><p>Her slips and slides as they strode down the hill had been understandable in her state, bearable. Daryl had sympathized with the need to steady her, despite his lack of enjoyment when it came to touching people.<p>

Plus there _was_ the guilt.

That _still_ pissed him off since nothin' would've even happened if her and her damned sister had just gone on by or at least approached in a less threatening manner than stalking up behind them. But _no_, they'd gone on the offensive, which put Daryl and his brother on the defensive, striking before they could. Now he had this girl that he felt responsible for, although he felt a lot more if he admitted it to himself.

Which he _wouldn't_.

The idea of that Chinaman or that prick of an ex-cop leading _her_ down to the quarry so that she could clean herself up, since she absolutely refused not to, had made his stomach clench and turn unpleasantly. A fiery anger had rolled through his body, spurring his fists to tighten and his mouth to open and claim the job before anyone else could. He'd been thoroughly surprised at himself, not sure where the hell the urge to do so had come from, all he knew was that he wouldn't be letting _anyone_ else do it in his place.

Plus, she'd said yes to him.

No to the others.

Which left him entirely confused and feeling like the stupid fuckin' hillbilly everyone else expected him to be.

She'd stared out at the water when they finally came to a stop near the edge of it for a good five minutes, shivers rippling across the temptingly bare and cream colored skin of her body as he looked on. She tucked her lip between her teeth as she bit into it, making it even _more_ plump and available to him than before. It was too much and he'd nearly growled at her to get a move on, something she seemingly refused to do without being informed of his name once more, the memory of hearing it once before fading into the blurriness that was unconsciousness.

He'd nearly lost his sturdy stance when she murmured it back to him.

Leaving him to curse mentally at the weakness.

But now? Now it was even _worse_.

He was a little above ankle-deep in the quarry water with his hands buried in her hair, soaped up with the grisliest smelling shampoo he'd ever had the pleasure of smelling, washing the bitch's hair.

"_Fuckin' pussy."_ Whispered Merle's voice, plaguing the inside of his mind.

"_Shut up."_ He growled back, pissed.

Anger once again set in over the _entire_ situation he found himself in, not wanting to commit such an emasculating act but not wanting to watch her muscles strain and shake with pain as she tried to keep her wound from soaking in the water, nor wanting to hear her whimper in pain again, either. He'd nearly sprung forward when the weak sound reached his ears, betraying the pain she felt even as she kept on a brave face as she arched her body backward into the water.

He didn't even want to _think_ about the way she looked doing that.

The whole thing, every single part of it, was _infuriating_.

Her need for him and his help, her pain, the way she looked in the water, her determination to do it herself if he wouldn't help, his unease with _any_ other man helping her…the fact that she was even fuckin' _here_!

And now…her moan.

Daryl froze when the soft, pleasured sound escaped the lips of the girl at his feet.

He was fingers deep in her hair, her head tilted back and resting trustingly in his hands as he worked the soap through the long locks, and she picked that exact instant to let out the breathiest moan he'd _ever_ heard.

And open those wide, innocent eyes to stare up into his.

Completely shocked.

The pull toward her multiplied by a number he couldn't even express as he found himself stuck in her gaze, his chest rising and falling a little more dramatically than it had been, while hers copied the motion. Daryl couldn't move, couldn't think. All there was were her eyes, open and wide, her body, leaning into him and relaxed, her lips, parted and open.

"_Rinse_." Daryl growled out huskily, stepping back.


	7. Chapter Six

**Author's** **Note:** New update! You get a little bit of a dream/flashback in this one that hints at Rachel and Jenny's pasts. Thanks for all the views guys! And for the favorites and follows! And my lovely two reviewers, cookies for you (;

**Disclaimer: I own nothing from The Walking Dead (psh, if I did Daryl would be mineeee all mine. *Cough* Hint *Cough* _Norman_!). I also own nothing that is copyrighted or trademarked, etc. I just own my cheeky OC's- Rachel & Jenny, plus my personal plot ideas that are added in!**

Thanks for giving it a shot! Read, review, share, whatever! :) *Please no flames!

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><p><strong><em>-Rachel's POV-<em>**

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><p>We didn't speak for the rest of the time and Daryl's touches turned minimal, only bracing my shoulders while I leaned back to rinse the soap from my hair before he strode from the watery shore. I half expected him to be gone when I turned back around after soaking in the water, leaving me behind after making his way back up the hill to the little camp, but I was pleasantly surprised.<p>

Which was weird.

"_You like him."_ My inner-self purred, completely smitten.

I frowned at myself as I strode over to my new clothes, my muscles finally loosened up enough to reach my full stride.

"_It's the end of the world,"_ I snapped back at her. _"There isn't time to like someone…and he cut me!"_

"_You asked for it."_

I huffed aloud, drying off with the threadbare towel I'd brought as I muttered. "Bitch."

With my back turned his way, I tied the towel off at my hips and peeled off the soaked through sports bra that needed a good scrubbing, though I doubt _any_ amount of washing would rid it of its new bloodstains. I tossed it to the side of the rock and padded my damp skin dry before shrugging on my, thankfully dry, bra. My muscles pulled as I bent my arms back to snap it in place but it was a small price to pay to _finally_ feel normally dressed once I had pulled on a clean shirt. I made quick work of pulling on new panties, the lace slipping across my soft skin before the sound of his voice broke through my dressing.

"Ya done?" Daryl growled, irritation thick in his tone.

"Yep." I murmured in answer, popping the 'p' at the end of the word as I pulled my jeans up over my hips.

His cheeks were stained a light pink when I turned around.

Daryl took off for the path back topside without a single word, his scowl never leaving his lips. I couldn't help but giggle softly at his expression, the moment was the first thing I'd laughed at in a long time. The deep rumble coming from his chest was a warning that he'd heard me but I ignored it, concentrating instead on the walk back up the steep slope. I slipped more than once, my newly stretched muscles fatigued from being used so much after all the inactivity.

"Was it _this_ steep when we came down?" I grumbled, replanting me feet on the pebbles.

Silence.

I rolled my eyes and trudged along a hundred more yards or so before nearly slipping again, cursing my lack of balance and whatever sick being had implemented the end of the world, thus my current condition.

"Can't even walk," Daryl snarled, wrapping a tight hand around my upper arm. "How're ya even still alive."

I glared up at him, not even bothering to dignify his condescending assumptions with an answer as he pulled me along. I could shoot from a distance with both a gun and a crossbow, not to mention I could walk up on my prey silently (the run-in with him and his brother _excluded_ of course).

The fact that I was alive wasn't all that surprising.

Just because I was worn down didn't mean I was defenseless.

I was about to tell him so but as soon as we crested the hill once more we were met with the slightly peeved and impatient gaze of Shane, followed by a large group of camp members milling around behind him. They were all busying themselves with chores or conversation but the slight silence that descended once we'd reappeared as people quieted their conversations to look over at us made it clear we were being waited on.

"Bout time." Shane snapped, his tone gruff, though not the gruffness that was spine-tingling good. "What took so long?"

Uh…_none_ ya.

"Muscles take some time to readjust after being laid up." I smiled, trying to soothe the inner bitchiness inside me _and_ the hunter that had stiffened up with tension after the ex-cop had questioned us. "I'm moving a little slow, my apologies."

"Don't even!" Lori smiled, walking up and smacking Shane in the shoulder.

The two of us stood a tad awkwardly as Daryl and Shane both glared at each other, one with his eyes squinted and teeth clenched, the other with an arrogant smirk. I sighed softly, the exhaustion creeping up on me as I held my dirty clothes and bathing supplies, waiting for whatever Shane had to say. It was irritating, the feeling of weakness and fatigue, especially after being out of it for so long. Still, I was more than aware that it could take the body a while to readjust after acclimating itself to unconsciousness for so long.

"Thought you might like to meet everyone." Shane muttered, finally glancing over at me.

My muscles whined in protest at the suggestion. Walking around camp and meeting a bunch of people was the last thing they wanted to do. Plus, I didn't really want to get to know everyone around or have them get attached to my presence. It sounded horrible, like total indifference, but I _couldn't_ let myself start to care about these people.

As soon as Jenny returned, there was no doubt in my mind that we'd be leaving.

"Uh, I-"

"Ye need t' rest." Daryl cut in, silencing my words as he tightened his grip on my arm momentarily before letting me go.

The air rushed into my lungs, a quiet but breathy gasp.

Pure dominance flooded his tone, sending tingling shivers down my spine and making my knees buckle ever so slightly as my mind flashed back to those heated cobalt blue eyes that had stared down into mine when that quiet moan of enjoyment had passed my lips. I was once again reminded of my first impression of him, how I'd felt the aggressive power in him from all the way across the bar. We had yet to even speak of that, hadn't even talked about the way he'd laid claim to me by scraping his teeth over my neck to make the group of creeps go away.

I _wasn't_ weak; I rarely did something _just_ because someone wanted me to.

But that deep southern voice mixed with his commanding tone warmed me to the core, dousing me in a white-hot fire that licked through my veins and then went straight for the pit of my stomach as my muscles clenched deliciously. And in that moment as I worked to rein in control of my lust and desire to have his words whispered against my ear and his teeth sinking into my skin again, I alarmingly realized, I'd be _more_ than happy to do what he told me to.

_"See,"_ My inner self murmured once more. _"You DO like him."_

_Such_ a bitch.

Shane's eyes narrowed, glancing from me to Daryl as he frowned. "I think Rachel can decide what she-"

"No, Daryl's right." I cut in, my tone softer than I intended. I cleared my throat and tried again but it still came out breathy sounding and I _prayed_ no one noticed. "Even though I've been unconscious, I'm exhausted. In normal cases I wouldn't have a patient moving so much after such a lengthy time down but I couldn't stand going without cleaning up any longer." I turned to Lori, catching the concerned look in her eyes as I smiled. "Maybe I can meet everyone around dinner? If I'm up?"

Her eyes cut to Daryl once, who didn't notice seeing that he and Shane were glaring at each other once more, before she nodded with a small smile. "That sounds great Rachel."

I breathed a sigh of relief, the tension melting from my body once more. My legs gave with my weight a little, the exhaustion rising up to claim me demandingly, and both Daryl and Shane reached for me. I stood on my own two feet though, giving Lori a small wave as I backed toward the tent I'd found stocked with things my sister had unpacked. I glanced back to find Daryl's eyes tracking my movement carefully before I gave him a small smile, one he _didn't_ return, and slipped inside.

And let exhaustion claim me.

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><p><em>Blood.<em>

_It was everywhere._

_It coated me, covered me, staining almost _every_ inch of my skin in swirling blotches of red. It mixed with the already appearing purples and blues of bruising that was blooming over my arms, thighs, and stomach._

_That's not what I was concentrating on though._

_I only thought of one thing; help._

_We needed it._

_That's why my hand was slamming into the glass pane of my neighbor's front door across the street, the blood on my hands leaving behind sickeningly red handprints that were smearing and smudging across the pristine surface with each bone jarring knock. My voice was unrecognizable, a high pitched shrieking plea that was doused in fear and adrenaline; the only thing that kept me going. Sweet hope started to flood into my mind, surpassing all other emotion as front porch lights began to flicker on at the sound of my incessant screaming and pounding on the door._

_And then there it was; _help_._

_"Ra-Rachel?!" Steven croaked, groggy and confused; until he noticed what kind of state I was in. Then worry, fear and the barest hint of anger filled his tone. "Where are your cl-…Rachel honey, look at me, _look_ at me! Patricia I need you!"_

_The surgeon in him was taking over as his hands clasped my face, holding me still as I jittered and shook on my feet. I always admired how he worked, the intense expression that would come over his face as he examined his patients, much like the one he had on now. His devotion and passion was how I'd come to love the idea of becoming a surgeon too._

_But that didn't matter right now._

_Just help._

_I shook my head from his grasp, ignoring the feminine gasp that filled the air as his wife showed up behind him. "H-help!" I whispered, my eyes darting all around until they reconnected with his. "You _have_ to get help! Call 911, call anyone, j-j-just get help!"_

_My request wasn't questioned; he immediately backed up and reached for something on the counter that was out of sight while I backed away, ignoring Patricia's pleas for me to come inside. I took off again, sprinting back toward the house that I was raised in, ignoring the piercing pain in my bare feet as glass shards ripped the skin open there. The sound of tires squealing as a van screeched from the driveway and sped down the road filled my hearing but I ignored it, concentrating on only getting back to my family._

_"JENNY!"_

_My shout echoed through the huge dining room as I slid to a stop next to her, blood smearing on the hardwood flooring as it sloshed over the tops of my feet and pooled again once I sank to my knees by her side. I palmed her cheek, slapping it gently to wake her while I ignored her appearance that was so similar to mine; bloodied, bruised, clothes ripped to shreds._

_"Jenny!" I shouted, slapping her once more. "Wake UP! Jenny get up, help's coming!"_

_She coughed, hacking up blood that she spit to the side before her brown eyes flickered open to look up at me. Pain, fear and shame morphed her expression as she moaned. "T-T-Trey-"_

_I sucked in a gasp, sliding back from her as I jumped up and rounded the giant dining room table to find my older brother collapsed on the floor, resting in a pool of his own blood that mixed with all of ours. He was covered in bruises and cuts, but as I ripped his shirt off I found the stab wounds. My mind blanked with fear before Jenny's voice broke me out of it, screaming at me._

_"DO SOMETHING!"_

_Dashing to the kitchen, I grabbed all the dishtowels I could and even a roll of duct tape before I ran back in, crashing to my knees without worrying of the bruises that would be a result. I mopped up the blood, smearing it off his chest so I could see the wounds. Four deep punctures, all across his abdomen and sides._

_How was he still breathing?!_

_"It should have nicked a lung, should have-" I shook my head, shoving the thoughts aside before I started pressing the towels to the less urgent looking ones and duct taped them down to hold in place while I held the towels to the others with my hands, putting pressure on them to stop the bleeding._

_"Is-is he going-" Jenny coughed, dragging herself toward us. "Is he going to be alright?"_

_"I don't know." I mumbled, sinking into the detached voice I was learning as I concentrated on saving my brother. "Four stab wounds, two deep. I'm trying."_

_"Wh-where's the-?" She started._

_"On the way."_

_As if I was psychic, sirens started wailing in the distance, becoming increasingly louder as it filtered through the smashed front door and they came closer to the house. I could hear the slamming of doors, shouting of officers and medics, and our neighbor's voices as they tried to explain my appearance on their doorstep._

_Covered in blood._

_"M-mom and Dad?" I gasped out, black spots starting to obscure my vision._

_Silence met my question and I looked up, glancing all around for them, even as blue and black uniforms began to rush into the room, coming to rest by my side as they attempted to pull me from Trey so that they could take over._

_"JENNY!" I snapped, angry at her lack of answer._

_If they were dead, just fucking _tell_ me._

_But it was worse…so much worse._

_"They took them."_


End file.
